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B&B Looking For Mature Australian Actress To Play Recurring Role!

By Michael Fairman

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Courtesy/CBS

Courtesy/CBS

The Bold and the Beautiful may just be bringing in the mother of Ivy Forrester (Ashleigh Brewer) to the canvas, if speculation is correct.

According to Soap Opera Digest, the CBS soap and international hit series, is looking to cast a woman 50-60 years old, who must be Australian.

The casting call is for the character known as “Claire”, and is expected to be filled shortly, and to tape within a few weeks.  Brewer herself mentioned in an interview with SOD, that Ivy’s mother had somewhat of a fear of flying, so if the character were ever to appear she would have to find another way to get to California!

So, who would you suggest for the role of “Claire”?  Put your casting director hats on and give us your best suggestion!

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Ivy’s mom ***IS*** named Claire – or at least, John called her that in a conversation with Eric. Of course, B&B conveniently forgot that Taylor’s surname was originally Ashford when they decided to change it to Hamilton, and that Jessica Forrester’s mom was originally said to be Hannah until Barbara Crampton came on as Maggie. Maybe they are getting it right this time?

Jessica Forrester??

Yes—she was played by Maitland Ward and her love interest was Dylan played by Dylan Neal.

Jessica is Ivy’s half sister, played by Maitland Ward on the show from 1994-1996. That was the first time John Forrester was ever mentioned. John and his wife were going through a rough patch in their marriage, so John sent his daughter, Jessica, to stay with her uncle Eric and aunt Stephanie in L.A. But they just sent her – they didn’t bother to call or anything. So Jessica showed up at the Forrester mansion and was shocked to find that Stephanie had no idea she was coming, or that Eric and Stephanie were divorced. (Eric was married to Sheila at the time.) Since Stephanie pretty much had the whole mansion to herself at the time, she allowed Jessica to stay with her rather than with Eric and Sheila.

John eventually called Eric and admitted that he had sent Jessica to L.A. because he and his wife were getting a divorce. Eric and Stephanie broke the news to Jessica, who got involved with much older Forrester employee Dylan Shaw.

After John and his wife divorced, his wife showed up in LA to reconnect with her daughter. The mother was originally referred to as Hannah in conversations between Eric and Stephanie, but when we met her, they said her name was Margaret, aka Maggie (played by Barbara Crampton).

After two years of ups and downs with Dylan, including a rivalry with her mom over him, Jessica left town to join her dad (who was living in England at the time). Maggie stayed around and married James Warwick, and they were part of a triangle with Sheila.

John eventually made his way to Australia after a couple of more marriages and met Ivy’s mom.

We never saw John in the flesh until Fred Willard showed up last year. John mentioned Maggie once, but he has not mentioned Jessica at all. So Ivy has a half sister, even though it’s been just shy of two decades since we have seen her!

Geraldine Turner, one of Australia’s premier actresses would be PERFECT!!!

I know it says Australian but i believe Leslie Ann Downs could play the part…lol

Was thinking the same thought!

Kylie Minogue!

Half the women from the exceptional to this day “Prisoner: Cell Block H”

Rachel Ward would be perfect She’s beautiful, she’s the right age and she is an Aussie.

Kimberlin Brown. She can do accents.

Emma Samms would be awesome. She’s so beautiful and well known around the world, which would only boost the show’s international popularity.

I agree!

Trishy Dishy was made for it

Olivia Newton John

What about Kim Zimmer?

Love that idea

Not that scene chewer.

crystal Chappell

Carmen Duncan comes to mind immediately.

Connie Nielsen is 50 & Danish. She had short run last year on THE GOOD WIFE as Peter Florrick’s mistress. Don’t know if she could do an Australian accent. But, she definitely has a cosmopolitan allure & can speak 8 languages.

Three fine actresses from the Australian primetime soap, “A Place To Call Home” come to mind. First, there is lead Marta Dusseldorp (Sarah Adams) who possesses that tall, cool blonde, regal vibe…she is quite reminiscent of OLTL’s Jessica Tuck….There is also a set of striking brunettes: the vivacious Sara Wiseman who plays (Aunt) Carolyn Bligh and Jenni Baird who portrays the icy villainess (Aunt) Regina Standish. If the show is looking for a real battleaxe, there is also Noni Hazelhurst, who fills a killer role far older than her years as matriarch Elizabeth Bligh, but is also absolutely superb. This is a wonderful show set in the postwar/early 1950’s…all sorts of yummy storylines! I would highly recommend the program. At any rate, depending upon the “type” B&B is seeking, any of these ladies would do a bang-up job, although they are of various ages. However, due to the period drama cosmetics and costumes in which they feature, each perhaps tends to look more mature than today’s modern counterparts.

i think leslie anne down would be a good choice

ME!!!

GERALDINE TURNER WOULD BE A STAND OUT!!

General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

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Dominic Zamprogna

General Hospital’s Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri) opened up about the burgeoning love triangle forming between his Port Charles alter-go, Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst) after recently aired scenes, plus his hopes for the future of a Dante and Liz pairing, during his appearance on the Sunday, April 23 edition of the That’s Awesome podcast with Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli).

On last week’s episodes of GH, Ric has made the decision that he wanted to propose to his ex-wife, only when he showed up at Elizabeth’s front door, he misread the scenario he walked in with Liz tending to Dante’s injured leg from the softball game. From there, the legal eagle’s jealous streak is reemerging which may cause him to act out and do something unforgivable, or will he take the high road? Stay tuned.

Speaking with Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson about where Elizabeth stands in the annals of the long-running soap, Zamprogna said, “She’s up there with Steve and Maurice (Maurice Benard) as one of the most legacy-filled people on the show.”

Courtesy/ABC

HOW DANTE AND ELIZABETH CAME ABOUT

Dominic jokes it’s a far cry for where Dante and Elizabeth previously, recalling, “We had some scenes together years ago and we were both laughing. Becky’s like, ‘Well, I guess we’re not going be paired up anytime soon.’ I remember we laughed immediately after they yelled ‘cut,”‘and said to each other, ‘Well, so much for that!'”

Fast-forward to early 2025 and as Zamprogna remembered it, “Elizabeth Korte (co-head writer, GH) came up to me at the General Hospital Christmas party, and I think it was a year and a half ago and she said, ‘We’re going to have you in scenes with Elizabeth,’ My internal monologue is going, ‘I’m not with Lulu (Alexa Havins) anymore and Sam’s (Kelly Monaco) gone, so maybe they want to see if this works.’ I didn’t want to get scenes with Becky and try to find the chemistry. I just wanted to play whatever honestly was written and came across for both of us and hope it was what people liked, and I don’t know if it is … or not.”

Knowing how beloved Elizabeth is to the GH faithfuls, Zamprogna added, “She got a big fan base with Ric … and a big fan base with with Jason … and you know, you’re going to piss somebody off. But, didn’t Ric drug Elizabeth and put Carly in a panic room?”

Dom and Liz

Photo: ABC

DANTE AND ELIZABETH PAIRING COULD STIR UP STORY FOR OTHERS IN PORT CHARLES

In closing, Dominic felt that the wide-reaching tentacles of a Dante and Elizabeth relationship is something he is 100% down for. “The triangle thing; I was happy to hear it was with Ric and her, because I felt it’s important to have her the top of it as opposed to Dante, Lulu and Elizabeth.”

Zamprogna added, “When you get into relationships on a soap, things seem to fizzle out a little bit, The buildup is what’s the fun part, and the getting to know each other, and the people who are affected by this coming together. When with this case it’s going to affect: Ric, Sonny, Lulu. There’s so much more story here. To me, it’s going to be a fun story to play.”

You can check out Dominic’s visit to That’s Awesome with Steve and Bradford below.

Now weigh-in: Are you rooting for Dante and Liz, or Dante and Ric at this juncture of the story, or neither guy  for Elizabeth? Let us know your thoughts and picks via the comment section.

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Beyond the Gates

‘Beyond the Gates’ Star Mike Manning Lands Role in Indie Horror Feature ‘Deify’

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Mike Manning

While Smitty tries to hold the fort down in his marriage to congressman Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon)  and their two teenaged children, Samantha (Najah Jackson) and Tyrell (Jaden Lucas Miller) on Beyond the Gates, Emmy-winner Mike Manning has also landed another feature film role.

According to Deadline, Manning has joined the cast of Deify with 6 other new cast members for the indie psychological horror film starring Neal McDonough and Skeet Ulrich, which was previously announced last week.

Joining Manning as the latest cast addition are: Dennis Haysbert, Ashley Greene,  Casey Harnett, Kirk Avecdo, Anji White, anf Nicholas Chimera who’s directing the pic also has a part in the film.

WHAT’S THE STORY OF DEIFY?

Taking to his Instagram with the news of his casting, Manning shared, “A movie about a cult? What could possibly go wrong? Come for the enlightenment. Stay because they won’t let you leave. DEIFY is coming…”

The movie is currently shooting in Chicago and in story, “a cult leader is put on trial after causing his devoted followers to be burned alive. The film is inspired in part by events surrounding the 1993 Waco, Texas, standoff between members of the Branch Davidians church and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, one of the largest civilian firefights ever recorded on American soil.”

MIKE MANNING IS A DAYTIME EMMY NOMINEE

In addition, the multi-talented Manning is a producer on the feature. Previously, Mike was nominated last month in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards. He previously won an Emmy for his role on The Bay and for being a producer on the digital drama.

Mike’s previous credits include the role of Charlie Dale on Days of Our Lives and the Manny on This Is Us, plus various primetime and screen credits.

So intrigued to find what role Mike will play in the upcoming horror/cult film, Deify? Enjoying him as Smitty on Beyond the Gates? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

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General Hospital

GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

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Patrick J. Gibbons

At the conclusion of today’s August 21 episode of General Hospital, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) sings a lullaby to baby Dez, that went into a montage to close out the episode as her father Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) reports to Pentonville and winds up in his jail cell.

However, in a fun fact, the song entitled, “A Lonely Heart To Give” was actually written by none other than former One Life to Live and General Hospital actor, Patrick J. Gibbons.

Daytime fans first met Gibbons as Sam Manning on One Life to Live. At the time, when he started on the soap, he was just 5-years-old. Gibbons played the part from 2010-2013 on ABC and Prospect Park’s editions of the show. Fast-forward to 2018, Gibbons shows up on General Hospital as Wyatt Hoover, the scout who seemed always be injured, but in the thick of the drama. Patrick had appeared on GH multiple times as Wyatt including: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.

Photo: ABC

FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER’S DEATH CAME THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS SONG

Now in 2026, General Hospital fans are getting to learn about another side of Gibbons’ talent as a songwriter and guitar player after “A Lonely Heart to Give” debuted today! Michael Fairman TV caught up with Patrick, who is now a senior at Penn State entering his final year as a finance major, to get the back-story of how his song wound up on GH!

Gibbons explained he wrote the song in honor of his grandmother who passed away a few years ago with whom he was, very, very close with. “Randomly, my grandmother had a downfall and passed away during the second semester of my sophomore year. I was in my dorm a lot and I was just playing with my guitar. And at the time, I was really into finger-style playing. I wrote the lyric and music to it (with a little help from my guitar teacher Lou), and my mom showed the rough demo to Frank Valentini (EP, General Hospital). He’s like an uncle to me. Frank loved it so much he said, “Finish that up. I want to hear the whole thing, and I want it on the show.”

MAKING MUSIC FOR GENERAL HOSPITAL

Gibbons and his parents took the next steps! “So now, all we needed was a female voice, because I thought that would fit the song well,” Patrick shared. “At the golf club we go to my parents were at a dinner. They liked the singer that was performing and spoke to her about the song, and she says she would like to bring it to her ‘boss’ who ended up being Eric Bazilian of the Hooters fame!” (Bazilian also wrote the smash hit song “One of Us” for Joan Osborne).

Next, “We went in the studio and recorded it and the song came together and it was beautiful. We loved it. They loved it at General Hospital and now they’re putting it the show and they are coming in with a piano, instead of a guitar. Paul Glass, the GH musical director, has been keeping us updated over the last six months of how it was coming along, and when it would air, and how GH put their own arrangement to it. I can’t wait to see and hear what they did with it.”

Photo: JPI

PATRICK’S ONE LIFE TO LIVE FAMILY

Everyone knows that the One Life to Live extended family share a very tight bond, and Patrick said he does stay in touch with a few of his former One Life to Live co-stars, especially those from the Manning family! “I stayed in touch with Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair) and sent her little videos here and there. She was like my second mom for five years. We keep in contact with Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) over X the most, and she can’t believe how big I’ve gotten. Like, none of them can! (laughs). I also loved working with Roger Howarth (ex-Todd) and Trevor St. John (ex-Todd and Victor Jr.), and to me since I was so young, they were just my friends, ‘Roger and Trevor,’ not Todd Manning or Victor Jr.”

It was a trip to California and a visit to Port Charles that ultimately led to Gibbons second soap role of Wyatt Hoover. Patrick explains, “In 2016, Frank Valentini invited us out to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital. I think he heard me say, ‘This is so much fun. I miss being on the set.’ He goes, ‘You should come out. I’ll bring you on the show. We can make you a character.'”

A few years later, Patrick’s dream became a reality! “Then, by the summer of 2018, I was playing Wyatt, the scout, and shared scenes with Wes Ramsey (Peter August), and the best was when I shared a scene with Roger Howarth and Michael Easton (ex-John, OLTL and ex-Silas, Finn et al, GH), it was like chemistry from the old days.”

Photo: PGibbons

IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS

As to his future aspirations, it’s a career in the finance game that has piqued Gibbons’ real-life interest. But never say never to a return to acting. Patrick explained, “I’ve always enjoyed numbers. And on top of that, one of the biggest parts of finance is being personable and outgoing.”

He continued, “That’s one of the greatest skills I developed growing up. I really love the markets. I’m super interested. I’m never going to close the door to acting. I’m always open to that because I just love it so much. It’s such a great art.”

Take note! If there are any investment bankers or private equity folks among the GH faithful looking for a young analyst next year, Patrick’s DMs are open. You can find him on X at @PatrickJGibbons.

So, what did you think of the song sung by Trina on today’s GH that was written by Patrick J. Gibbons? Did you enjoy Patrick’s performances as One Life’s Sam and GH’s Wyatt? Would you like to see him back on GH at some point? Let us know via the comment section.

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Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

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